Updated: Jun 12, 2006, 4:15 PM

Vote: Which current player will be the best manager?


Jason Varitek
Do catchers, like Jason Varitek, make better managers?
Jerry Crasnick recently conducted a survey of major-league players, managers, executives and coaches. He asked them which current players would make the best managers in the future?

He received many different names, but the top three were all catchers -- Jason Varitek, Brad Ausmus and Mike Matheny. It's likely not a coincidence that 12 of the 30 current managers in the majors were backstops in the major or minor leagues when they played.

SportsNation, we'd like to know which of the three current catchers above would make the best big-league manager some day? Do catchers make better managers? Should someone manage in the minor leagues before being offered the title with the big club? And how many wins is a good manager worth over the course of a season?

Answer all of these questions and many more below. Then, compare your answers with the rest of SportsNation.

  • 1) Which of these current players would make the best manager?
  • 2) Do you believe that catchers make better managers?
  • 3) Do you feel ''scrappy'' players -- those who made the most out of their talent -- make better managers than those who were stars as players?
  • 4) What is the most important quality in a manager?
  • 5) Do you agree with Todd Pratt's assertion that handling the media is a bigger challenge than strategy or handling a pitching staff?
  • 6) Can a manager who never played in the majors be as effective as one that has?
  • 7) How important is it that an individual manages in the minor leagues before getting a major-league job?
  • 8) Which of the following age-related statements do you feel is most accurate?
  • 9) How many wins can a good manager account for over the course of a season? (To see Joe Morgan's answer to this question, check out his recent chat)

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